The Fanfic Contest was won by Nala Arielle White with the story “Road to the Rockin’ Radiance Fest!”

Road to the Rockin’ Radiance Fest!

Written by Nala Arielle White

An ear-piercing squeal drowns out the sound of the road as The Misfits’s black van cruises down I-10 toward Phoenix, Arizona. Behind the wheel sits Pizzazz who has becomeincreasingly annoyed by her bandmate’s excitement.

“Would you quit it, Stormer?! This Arizona heat is already enough of a nuisance!”

“Sorry, Pizzazz…” Stormer quickly deflates, shrinking in her seat at the back of the van, “It’s just– I can’t wait for the next concert!”

Today, The Misfits are scheduled to perform once again as part of The Rockin’ Radiance Fest: an all-star music festival tour. This time, however, instead of having a day to themselves like the other concerts, they’ll be joined by both The Stingers and…

“Jem and the Holograms, Stormer!” Roxy speaks up, turning in her seat at the front of the van to look the blue-haired girl in the eyes, “Did you forget they’ll be there too?!”

“Ugh! I don’t even want to ‘ear that name,” says Jetta, who leans away from her seat next to Stormer.

“No!” Stormer straightens up defensively, “I only meant that… maybe it’d be nice to–”

“Nice?! Ha!” Jetta cackles.

“Have you lost it?!” Roxy yells.

“Seems to me you’ve taken a liking to those spineless piles o’ glitter!”

“Yeah!” Roxy sneers, “Maybe you’d better join them for good! You’d fit right in!”

An angry growl from Pizzazz finally enters the tense atmosphere, “Would you three be quie–”

“Well maybe I will!”

Tires screech as the van stops abruptly. All eyes, including the fiery ones belonging to The Misfits’s leader, land on Stormer. Before she can respond, she quickly finds herself stranded on the side of I-10, just past Tuscon, having been physically kicked out of the van and therefore the band itself.

The sound of a certain keyboardist practicing her parts can be heard all throughout the big pink tour bus.

“Kimber, don’t you think you oughta relax for a little? You don’t wanna wear yourself out before we even start!”

Kimber sighs, relaxing her once-frustrated grip on her keytar, “Sorry, Shana. I guess I just don’t want to mess this up, especially since this time, we’ll be playing with so many other musicians at The Rockin’ Radiance Fest.”

“I get it,” Shana smiles in her seat across from Kimber, “But you won’t be ‘messing’ anything up, even if you happen to make a couple mistakes. Rest is just as important as practicing.”

“She’s right, Kimber.”

The two turn to Jerrica, who emerges from the curtained backroom and into the main lounge area, “You’ve been playing for hours. If you’re feeling frustrated, it might be wise to take a break.”

“Okay, okay, you win,” Kimber chuckles, feeling better with the help of her sisters’ advice. She continues to leisurely play, but instead of practicing their set list for the next concert, she chooses a familiar tune.

“I remember that song…” Shana says, “‘I’m Okay,’ right? That duet you did with Stormer?”

Kimber nods, “I guess it’s my comfort song at this point.”

Jerrica sits next to Shana to watch a serene Kimber as the gentle piano sounds fill the

room, “You two are still in contact, right? I wonder how she’s been holding up with The Misfits,

especially during the tour.”

As if Jerrica’s words predicted the future, Raya hurriedly enters the lounge area from the

front of the tour bus where Aja is driving, “Girls! There’s someone on the side of the road

ahead!”

The Holograms immediately jog to the front of the bus to look out at the Arizona

landscape. Worried and curious voices are heard as the bus gets closer to the stranded figure.

Aja squints as the view of the person becomes clearer, “Is that…”

“Stormer?!” the girls shout in unison.

“–So they kicked me out of the van. Literally!” Stormer shoves her face in her hands to

cover her teary eyes.

“How horrible!” Jerrica exclaims.

“But not surprising given The Misfits’s track record,” Aja crosses her arms.

“It’s okay now, Stormer,” Kimber sits next to the now-former Misfit, taking her

tear-soaked hands into her own, “We’re here now and we’ll be here for you for however long you

need!”

The rest of the Holograms hum in agreement.

Stormer tears up once again, but a grateful smile graces her face, “Really…? Thank you

so much!”

Once Stormer has calmed down, the group calmly resumes the drive to Phoenix. Kimber

wastes no time to catch up with Stormer, striking up a boisterous hours-long conversation.

“I still can’t believe ‘Back to Back’ went double platinum!” Stormer says as she removes

the tape of one of their duet performances from the VCR in the corner of the lounge.

“I can!” chuckles Kimber. “It was such a great album! I really miss it, you know.”

“It doesn’t have to be a thing of the past,” Jerrica speaks up, sitting across from the two.

“What if you two made another album? The Holograms will be in full support, of course!”

Kimber and Stormer are surprised at the suggestion but quickly fall in love with it.

“I think that’s a great idea!” Shana says from her seat.

“Seconded!” Raya exclaims next to Shana.

“To have the Holograms’s support would be wonderful!” Stormer smiles. However, a

thought comes to her mind, “But… would Jem be okay with that? I know we didn’t get along too

well before and I don’t want to impose, but I haven’t seen her around here yet. Where is she

anyway?”

The Holograms make nervous eye contact.

“Well–” Kimber starts.

Shana shifts in her seat, “You see, she–”

“Um–” Raya mumbles.

“Jem’s already at the venue!” Jerrica jumps in a bit frantically. “She wanted to make sure

everything was set up for tonight, but I promise she’ll be fine with the collaboration.”

“Yeah!” Kimber turns to Stormer, “She just talked about having a fresh new release for

the anniversary of the Starlight Foundation, too, so it’d be perfect!”

“Wow, really?” Stormer smiles excitedly, “Then… I’m in!”

The bus erupts with applause and cheers at the start of a new collaborative project.

“Hm… so many delicacies. I don’t know which to try!” The blonde-haired woman peers

at the rows of snacks and quick meals that litter the rest stop.

“Excuse me!” She marches toward the store clerk for a recommendation but is

interrupted by the sound of familiar voices. The girl crouches down in an attempt to hide her

identity, but also to let her curiosity take over and eavesdrop.

“Should we make another album this time, Kimber?” A deep blue-haired girl asks.

“Kimber?” The blonde whispers.

“I don’t think I’d be able to resist, Stormer!” A redheaded girl replies.

“Stormer?” The blonde straightens up at the new information, “A Misfit and a Hologram

making an album?”

She leaves her hiding spot and heads toward the group in the store, “I think they’d do

well to add Minx to the mix.”

Aja joins the table that the Holograms and Stormer sit at, placing her plate of carne asada

burritos down and digging in.

“The bus is filled up now and all the snacks are packed away!” she says through bites of

food. “Just a little while longer until we get to Phoenix, now.”

Before anyone can reply, the clacking of boots becomes louder as someone walks to sit in

a spare chair at the table.

“Hello there,” the blonde girl greets.

“Minx!” the table gasps.

“What are you doing here?” Jerrica asks curiously.

“Resting of course. This is a rest stop, no? We are going to the same place as well.” Minx

chuckles, “But enough about that. I heard that a Misfit and a Hologram are making a new

album.”

“Yes… that’s true, but what’s it to you?” Stormer asks with concern.

“I want to join in.”

“What?” Surprise fills Kimber.

“Think about it!” Minx leans over the table toward the group, “Three girls each from

three über-popular bands! We’d be great! And it’s something new and fresh, no?”

The Holograms hum in contemplation, but they all end up looking to Kimber and

Stormer for their decision.

“You know what…” Stormer starts, making eye contact with Kimber.

“I think that’d make for a great album!” Kimber finishes Stormer’s thought with a smile.

“Great!” Minx giggles, “We can start writing on the way to the concert!”

The black Misfits van comes to a stop outside of the Arizona shack housing Techrat and

his countless gadgets and gimmicks.

“My word!” Jetta looks up at the shack’s adobe roof, which is littered with wires,

satellites, and other technology that she can’t name, in surprise, “I was going to ask ‘ow you’d

know which place is ‘is, but I suppose it’d be ‘ard not to with all o’ that!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever!” Roxy groans impatiently. “Let’s get out of this heat before

I melt!”

Pizzazz marches toward the shack’s door with a determined grin, “Relax! Once we get

this so-called hologram machine Eric talked about, we’ll be well on our way!”

After brashly knocking on the door for a minute or two, the three girls are finally let in by

Techrat, who tries to stay away from the girls as much as possible but is subsequently driven into

the corner where his computer sits since his Arizona shack is too small to hold the presence of

three brazen Misfits.

“So what’s this hologram thing, huh? When can we have it?” Pizzazz wonders, leaning

onto the table Techrat is working on.

“It’s only a prototype…” Techrat mumbles.

“Prototype ‘shmototype’!” The Misfits leader slams her hands down, “We’ve got a

concert happening tonight and, if you haven’t noticed, we have no Stormer! We need something

new and we need it quick!”

“Well… it can replace Stormer if you so choose.”

“Replace?” Jetta smiles in excitement.

“And make your performances more dazzling and lively.”

“Now we’re talking…” Roxy grins, “We’ll beat those Holograms and do it without

getting Stormer back!”

“You don’t say…” Pizzazz straightens up as a new plan for The Rockin’ Radiance Fest

comes to mind, “We’ll take it, and we’ll take it now.”

Like a dream, the night of the Phoenix date of The Rockin’ Radiance Fest has come.

Lights and color fill the landscape and a buzzing excitement fills the air as crowds all rock to

their favorite songs by their favorite artists.

“We’re here!” Aja says, leaving the driver’s seat of the tour bus once she parks in the

designated space.

“Look at all those people!” Shana exclaims, peering out of the window.

“I’m so excited!” Raya giggles.

“I can’t wait to perform this new song with you two!” Kimber exclaims to Stormer and

Minx.

“Hopefully the festival crew won’t mind a little addition to the schedule!” Stormer

chuckles, leaving the tour bus to find a festival crew member to share the news.

“I’m sure they will not when they hear that we three are collaborating!” Minx says,

already bursting out of the tour bus door to meet with the Stingers.

“Is everyone ready?” Jerrica turns to the Holograms once Stormer and Minx are away

from the bus.

The girls all cheer a great big affirmative.

“Well then,” Jerrica smiles, taking hold of her earring at last, “It’s Showtime, Synergy.”

“Oh, I can’t stand that racket!” Jetta exclaims, unable to plug her ears as she helps carry

the large hologram equipment into a discreet backstage area of the concert venue.

“Of course we had to get here once those Holograms started performing,” Roxy rolls her

eyes in disgust, carrying the equipment as well.

The three Misfits start to prepare the hologram-maker for their performance, but it’s

increasingly obvious that none of them have any idea how to do so.

“Pizzazz! A little help perhaps? This was your idea after all!” Jetta yells to The Misfits’s

leader who stands far from the equipment.

“Hey, I’m helping! I’m keeping watch!” Pizzazz snorts with amusement.

Before Roxy can say anything, she catches a familiar sight and gasps, “Stormer?!”

“What are you three doing?!” the former Misfit jogs toward the three, staring at the

gadget they’re tinkering with.

“We’re uh…” Jetta trails off.

“It doesn’t matter!” Pizzazz jumps in, “Come on Stormer, we’re taking you back!”

“What?! No!” Stormer backs away.

“Stormer!”

“I said no!” The blue-haired girl runs from the three, leaving them dumbfounded.

Pizzazz screams a great deal and in her tantrum, kicks the hologram-maker, making

pieces fall all around.

“Pizzazz! What did you do?!” Roxy exclaims.

The Misfits’s leader growls in anger at Roxy’s scolding, but is stopped when the

hologram maker begins to light up.

“It’s on!” Jetta gasps.

In the background, the Misfits hear the Holograms finally finish their set.

“We’re on! Hurry!” Roxy shouts as the three girls run to the stage.

Their mission, however, is thwarted once the announcer doesn’t introduce The Misfits,

but Kimber, Stormer, and Minx, who have begun a collaboration for the anniversary of the

Starlight Foundation.

“What?!” Pizzazz shouts as the three Misfits peak through the backstage curtain

The three girls perform their upcoming song and the crowd goes wild. The music, the

dazzling visuals, the outfits and the stage presence are all captivating and magical. When the

song is over, the audience cheers for an encore not only from those three, but from all of the

bands.

“What are you three doing!” a festival crewmember comes across the starstruck Misfits.

“The audience wants you out there! Go, go, go!”

The crewmember shoves a few instruments into their hands and pushes them to enter the

stage. Cheers erupt as The Stingers, The Misfits, and Jem and the Holograms all set aside their

differences for the crowd and the music, performing a truly outrageous medley of all their

different songs.

The Rockin’ Radiance Fest was a hit.